A truck driver told police he felt "horrible" moments after he ran a red light and crashed into a car, ejecting its occupant and sending him flying through the air to his death.
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"I'm so sorry that I'm the reason that this has happened," Jake Barrett told officers after killing Alistair Urquhart in Canberra's north in September 2021.
"I feel horrible that all of the resources have to be used because of me.
"I just killed a guy. I want to make it better but I don't know how to make it better. A guy is dead because of me. I'm so sorry."
Barrett's comments can be revealed after he faced the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to charges of culpable driving causing death and grievous bodily harm.
He admitted killing Mr Urquhart and seriously injuring another man while driving a 22.5-tonne tow truck for a company called Quickeze.
On Barrett's first day back at work after a COVID-19 lockdown, his boss sent him out in a truck he did not usually drive.
He was heading north on the Barton Highway when he claims an alarm went off in the truck and he looked away from the road in an attempt to figure out why.
While looking down for between eight and 11 seconds, he drove through a red light at the intersection with Gungahlin Drive and hit Mr Urquhart's Ford Falcon.
Barrett's truck was travelling about 79km/h at the point of the impact, which pushed the Falcon into a Toyota Landcruiser and propelled Mr Urquhart, 45, onto a median strip about 30 metres away.
The driver of the Landcruiser, which was spun onto a nature strip, was trapped and had to honk his horn in order to alert people to his predicament.
Emergency services ultimately cut the driver's door off the Toyota in order to free the surviving man, who was taken to Canberra Hospital with serious injuries.
These included fractures of the spine, right shoulder and pelvis, along with "a tear in the lung".
Agreed facts show a medical expert believes the surviving victim is likely to experience ongoing consequences as a result of his injuries, including reduced mobility.
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Barrett, a Karabar man in his late 20s, escaped the crash with a few cuts and abrasions.
After telling police he had "smoked a bit of weed" a few days earlier, he was arrested and taken to hospital for a blood test which detected cannabis in his system.
While subsequent investigations found there was no mechanical reason for an alarm to have sounded in the truck, the condition of the vehicle after the collision meant it was not possible to disprove Barrett's claim.
Barrett had been due to stand trial next week, having previously denied the culpable driving allegations but pleaded guilty to back-up charges of negligent driving.
His lawyer, Sam McLaughlin, told the court Barrett would also now plead guilty to a drug-driving charge he had previously denied.
Acting Justice Stephen Norrish ordered a pre-sentence report on Thursday and told Barrett, who is on bail, to report to ACT Corrective Services by the end of the week to facilitate its preparation.
The case will now go before a registrar next Thursday for a sentencing date to be set.
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